Author Topic: Mozzarella, Goat, Raw - Citric Acid & Thermophilic Culture, Over Acidfication  (Read 3952 times)

chewie

  • Guest
hello.   I am new here, and pretty new yet at cheese making in general.  and if this has been discussed already, please excuse me but point me to it.   I have read here for a while now.   

 I only have a few cheeses I make, and I use my own goat's milk, raw.   I make a chevre that is just downright perfection, a farmhouse cheddar (that isnt' really a cheddar, but that's the name on the recipe) and it is very tasty, kinda like cheese curds.    then the mozz. argh!   I have tried the 30 min. method, do not like it.   currently using a recipe very like the fiasco farm version.   

I am trying to make the full recipe, 4 gallons.   using 1/2 tsp. thermo. dvi and 3.5tsp citric.   today and a few days ago, at the last stage before spin, the ph is clear down to 4.6 or so.    so is there any saving of this?   its pretty crumbly but is holding together in a mass.   

I sure wish there was a good teacher nearby, I just keep messing this one up.    some days it does work, but is pretty tough in the end.   

tia

MrsKK

  • Guest
Check out this section of the forum:  http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/board,70.0.html  There are many threads on mozzarella, particularly this one: http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,4127.0.html

I've never made a cultured mozz that uses citric acid.  Your pH is way too low to get good stretch.

chewie

  • Guest
yes, that is the kind of info I am needing!!   very nitty gritty how/why/when.   THANK you!! 

and, anything this over acid cheese good for?   can it be made into????

ellenspn

  • Guest
I used my failed mozzarella in lasagna :)

chewie

  • Guest
too late, its reeeally sour now.  blah!

mrsKK--can that recipe be halfed?   that's more milk than I am comfortable working with, and do not have a pot that big either.

MrsKK

  • Guest
Sure you can halve it.  There are threads around on scaling recipes - just put that in the search box, then make sure to choose "entire forum" and you should be able to  find something to help.

karin_brenig

  • Guest
OK, this is an old topic, but as far as I can see the problems with store-bought milk are worse now than a year ago.

So, here what I found:
a lot of stores sell dead milk.
Raw milk, straight from the cow, is illegal to sell in IN - I'd have to join a herd-share club and then pay about $7 per gallon of milk.
My goal was to make mozzarella (which I eat a lot of) "cheaper" than store-bought.

Pretty disappointing, but I didn't give up easily.
I found one brand of milk that is available in stores at my location for a reasonable price:
Prairie Farms

The reason why their milk works for making mozzarella is probably because they don't have to transport it all across the continent.
If you don't have Prairie Farms in your town, you may be able to find another local dairy.
Look for the closest manufacturer of dairy products in your town and buy their regular whole milk.

I also simplyfied the 30-minute-mozzarella recipe to eliminate some of the handling (potentially over-working) of curds.

Here's how I do it now:
add 1.5 tsp. of citric acid, dissolved in 1/4 cup of (filtered or bottled) water,
to 1 gal. of cold (Prairie Farms) milk
heat on medium, constantly stirring, until it reaches 90°F
remove the pot from heat
dissolve 3/4 Junket rennet tablet (or 1/4 tsp of liquid animal rennet) in 1/4 cup of cold (fileterd or bottled) water
slowly pour rennet into the warm milk and stir very slowly for about 15 seconds
let sit undisturbed and covered for 10 minutes
put the pot back on medium heat and warm up to 110°F, stirring very little or (better still) not at all
turn off heat, cover the pot, let sit undisturbed for another 5-10 minutes
using a slotted spoon fish the curd out of the whey and put in a microwaveable dish
microwave for 60 seconds
kneed with your hands (in rubber gloves) until the curds start bonding, almost melting
microwave for another 35 seconds
kneed and stretch, don't overdo it
form balls or strings, drop them into icewater

done  :)